Reggie’ll Try It: Deep-Fried Jelly Beans

You may have heard about it leading up to Stampede. You may be wondering how it could possibly work. You might even be curious on what the taste experience will be like. However, you (and/or your friends) may not be willing to fork over some $$ just to find out, and even if you were, you may be hesitant on using yourself as a guinea pig.

So, how can you possibly find out what all the hype is about without trying to swindle a sample or a taste from a stranger or the food vendors? Well don’t worry, because Reggie’ll Try It!

Today’s food item: The deep-fried jelly bean.

Available on the midway, the deep-fried jelly bean is one of many new food items at this year’s Stampede. Contrary to popular belief, the deep-fried jelly bean is not made up of individually battered jelly beans that are fried. Instead, it consists of balls of dough with jelly beans inside of them that are deep fried and topped with a light dusting of confectioner’s (a.k.a. powdered) sugar.

The end result is a fried ball of dough with a crisp outside (the kind you get with many fried foods) and a very chewy inside. I’m hesitant to say that it’s similar to a doughnut as the dough in this concoction is much more chewier, and made even more chewier with the addition of the jelly beans.

As for the jelly beans themselves, the outer coating is essentially melted away while the core of the bean is softened and left intact, retaining the flavor of the jelly bean while accentuating the chewiness of the bean itself, and enhancing and complimenting the already-chewy texture of the fried dough. Be warned though, the jelly beans may have a tendency to stick to your teeth.

So is it worth it? Well, it’s worth trying at least once. Each order will net you four or five pieces, which is perfect for sharing with friends (that way, you can compare your own opinions). As a snack or as a quick meal on its own (if you eat the entire thing yourself), it can be very filling depending on your tastes, so you can rest assured that you’ll probably be good to go until it’s time to eat again. Note that you’ll probably want to wash it down with something afterwards, so make sure you’re prepared for that as well. If you’re a jelly bean fan, I suspect that you’ll enjoy this dish very much.

Verdict: Four out of five flapjacks.

Now I’ll turn it over to you: What did you think of the deep-fried jelly bean this year? Leave a comment below and let me know!